Skipping Stones
by WanderingMelody
Summary: What if Alice had seen Jasper in her visions and brought him along to the Cullens, but didn't take him as her mate? Set before Twilight, true to story except Alice has a different mate. Rated M for later chapters. Eventually JxOC
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing found in any of the Twilight books or movie. My original character is mine, though :-).

_Skipping Stones_

Chapter 1

Jade's POV

Jade was lost in a calm, pleasant dream. Her breathing was in time with the waves against the warm sand; her muscles relishing the heat from the sand and bright sun. A lone ship floated across the horizon, blowing its horn…but why wasn't it stopping? How could it seem so loud when it was miles off shore? She was only afforded a few seconds to ponder this before she was abruptly awake.

"Jade, could you please shut off your alarm and get up? You're going to be late for your first day of senior year!"

Ugh. Well, that explains it. "I'm awake dad, I'll be down soon!" I yelled before allowing myself a long stretch and a few more moments in bed. The clock read 6:00 AM; better get going before I'm not ready in time. Grabbing my towel, I headed for the shower. The hot water worked wonders on muscles that were sore from yesterday's soccer game-the last of the "summer" season. Feeling much better, I shut off the water and dried off. After getting dressed, I dried my blonde hair, put on minimal make-up, brushed my teeth, and took a final glance in the mirror. Smiling, I knew I had picked the perfect outfit for today-a simple pair of jeans, a purple short sleeved v-neck sweater, black puma sneakers, and-of course-my favorite necklace and ring set made for me by my best friend Haley. After grabbing a jacket, just in case, and my back pack, I headed downstairs.

"Good morning sunshine, ready for your first day of senior year!" Mom…always happy and energetic in the morning.

"I think so. It'll be nice to see everyone again; last year before people head off to college!"

Oops. Shouldn't have said that…there would certainly be tears in a few seconds.

"Yes, time flies doesn't it? You've become such an intelligent, strong, and beautiful young lady. I'm so proud of you!"

Yep, there were the tears, just starting to form in the corner of my mother's eyes.

"I'm so very proud of you also, but I believe it's time for you to leave for school? You don't want to be late; driving faster to make it is not an option. Tell Haley I said hello."

Ah, good old dad. I could always count on him to walk in just at the right time.

"Yeah, I really should get going, and I will tell her hello. Though I'm sure you'll be seeing her soon!"

After giving my mom and dad a hug and grabbing a peach, I walked out the door. I couldn't help but smile as I started my car; I loved my car. A black 2006 Subaru STI-18th birthday present from my dad. If mom had any idea what the words horsepower, torque, and turbocharger meant in relation to a car, she probably wouldn't have let me have it. Fortunately, dad shares my love of fast cars and driving. The drive to school went by quickly; I parked in the same spot I had last year and spotted Haley jogging toward my car; of course she had heard me pull in.

"Jade! How are you? I've missed you so much!"

"I'm great, glad to see you got home safely. I suspect your plane got in at an odd hour since you didn't call me to let me know when you arrived?"

"Yeah. Our flight got delayed coming from Detroit and we didn't land until 2 AM. I can't believe I spent half the summer away from you and everyone else! Leave it to mom to throw me a curve ball. I've explicitly told her that we are not taking any extended vacations next summer-we need to make it the best one ever!"

"Of course we will, was there any doubt in your mind? This school year will be the best one yet also, we're seniors! Finally!"

"Yeah, talk about a relief! Let's not rush it, though. Hey, have you heard the news? There's supposed to be six new students this year; three sophomores-two boys and a girl, and three seniors-two boys and a girl. All the same family, moving down here from Alaska or something. I can't imagine it'd be fun moving to a new place for your senior year…" Haley wasn't nosy or a gossiper, but since her dad was the principal usually knew about everything going on in the school.

"I can't imagine it'd be too pleasant, but you've got to do what you've got to do, I suppose. Oh, what's your schedule for this semester? Or did you forget to dig it out of the mail like I suspect you did?" Haley would know I was only speaking the truth. We had been best friends for as long as I could remember.

"Ha ha, very funny Jade. No, I made sure I grabbed it, it's right here in my purse. Looks like American History 1st period, Calc I 2nd period, Spanish III 3rd period, and Senior Gym 4th period. All first round lunches, how about you?"

"Physics 1st period, Calc I 2nd period, American History 3rd period, and Senior Gym 4th. First round lunches-Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Second round lunches Monday and Friday Two out of four classes with you and three lunches with you, not bad!" I was happy to see we would have a few classes together. Haley had tried desperately to convince me to take Spanish III, but I wasn't very fond of the teacher.

Just then, two unfamiliar cars pulled into the parking lot; a large Jeep and an Audi TT Quatro. There were two boys and two girls in the Jeep. Judging by the seating arrangement, it was somewhat obvious they were couples. Two boys stepped out of the Audi.

"Oh, those must be the new people! I guilted dad into showing me the photos that came with their registration, I said something about wanting to welcome them to the school. The tall, dark haired boy's name is Emmett…Emmett Cullen. The blonde girl next to him is Rosalie Hale. Looks like they're together, doesn't it? Oh! The other boy who was in the jeep is Mason Hale. The short, dark haired girl is Alice Cullen, looks like they're together too. The one driving the other car is Jasper. The boy who was in the car with him is Edward."

Amazing how she remembered all their names and faces. I suppose it was easy enough, when your high school was this small. As I looked over each new face, I decided they all looked friendly enough. I'm not the type of person to just walk up and introduce myself, and thankfully neither was Haley. I supposed I'd see whichever ones were seniors in at least one of my classes. I was pulled from my pondering as the first bell rang. Haley's boyfriend Matt called to her.

"Alright Jade, I'll see you second period!" Haley called back as she rushed to catch up to Matt.

"See you then Haley!"

I locked my car. Alright, I thought to myself as I started walking, first day of the last year in high school.

Jasper's POV

It felt good to be back in Forks; it was the first house I lived in when I joined the Cullen family. We had been gone for quite some time. Long enough to let any memories of us die with the ones who held them. Esme, Alice, and Rosalie had spent the larger part of the past week "freshening up the house," as they called it. Carlisle, Emmett, Mason, Edward, and I stayed out of the way as much as possible; assisting only when asked. Furniture that was deemed no longer appropriate was whisked away and replaced with recent purchases. Paintings were shuffled about, books and CDs returned to their shelves. The bedclothes were changed, even though no one had ever slept in them.

"Jasper, is everything in place in your room? All your boxes and belongings make it through the move?"

Ah, Esme-always the concerned mother. The contentment, caring, and love that emanated from her every second of everyday was incredibly soothing. Especially since the emotions of my siblings, for all intents and purposes, were not always so calm.

"Yes, thank you kindly Esme. Everything seems to be in order here. Is there anything else you'd like help with?"

"No, thank you very much dear. The girls and I have everything in perfect order."

We both looked down as a loud squeal of delight reached our ears from the first floor. Alice must have had a vision.

"Everyone get ready to play baseball! A large thunderstorm is going to hit Forks in fifteen minutes. It will last exactly two hours and twelve minutes, which puts us at 4:32 AM. That leaves plenty of time for everyone to hunt and get ready to leave for school."

Silent blurs that were my family raced down the hall and into their respective rooms to change into their baseball uniforms.

"Emmet, let me in the closet first! I need to find my uniform!"

Rosalie had so many clothes; I was surprised she could find any one item when she wished to wear it. Even though her closet was organized by color, each color occupied an entire rack of its own. Mere milliseconds after Rosalie had yelled at Emmett, a loud crack was heard from their room. I supposed Emmett had tried blocking the closet and Rose had thrown him out of the way; inevitably into a wall. The lust that I felt rolling off Emmett must mean that Rose's exhibit of strength had turned him on. Was there anything that didn't lead his mind to sex? Esme grimaced at the sound of the wall crumbling to the floor as Emmett stood up.

"Well…I guess that was going to happen sooner or later. I'll order materials for a few replacement walls tomorrow. I don't need Alice to tell me that the material won't go to waste."

She turned and walked off to get changed. It took me all of thirty seconds to find my uniform, change, and leap out my window to where Alice, Mason, and Edward were already waiting. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett joined us quickly. We ran towards the clearing, Edward and I racing ahead of everyone else. Tonight it would be myself, Rose, and Edward against Mason, Carlisle, and Emmett. Alice was pitcher for both teams and Esme was catcher for both teams. The game progressed as it usually did; each team scoring, but no one ever had more than a two run lead. Just as Alice predicted, the storm ceased at 4:32 AM. We returned the baseball equipment to the house and then went hunting. Carlisle with Esme, and Alice with Mason decided to stay near Forks. Emmett and Rosalie headed a little further north. Edward and I headed east; I preferred hunting with Edward. No words needed to be spoken, as they were superfluous. He could read my thoughts and I could judge by the emotion coming of off him whether he agreed or disagreed. Hunting with Edward also meant I didn't have to deal with one of two types of emotion any other family member brought. If one member came with me, I would feel their rush to get back to their mate and I would be unable to enjoy the hunt. If a pair came with me, I would be subject to the lust and love rolling off them. While I did not concentrate on my lack of a mate, it was hard to ignore when proof of what could be was staring me in the face.

After a mountain lion and two deer, I was sufficiently full. My family still watched me carefully every time we were around humans, though I had not slipped in over 10 years. My gift was also a curse-if the emotional atmosphere was too charged, it was possible that my rational mind would be too overwhelmed and the predator inside me would take over. I did everything in my power not to let that happen. After Edward had his fill, we returned home to prepare for the first day of school.

The time leading up to our arrival at school was quiet. Everyone was content, well, most everyone. Rosalie's emotions were tainted by annoyance.

"Rose, you know Esme and Carlisle said you weren't obligated to repeat senior year again. You could go straight off to college-fabricating a high school diploma and transcript is all too easy. You could also take a year off and do whatever you wished." I gently reminded her.

"I know, but there are a few reasons I've decided to endure it."

She gave me a small smile before joining Emmet, Alice, and Mason in Emmett's Jeep. I got into my car; Edward was already waiting in the passenger seat. We made it to school in next to no time. We parked in the far corner of the lot. Everyone headed toward the school, apart from me. I wanted to remain outside a little longer. The mix of emotions made it almost impossible to distinguish one person for the next…almost. There were always the exceptions. My attention was drawn to one particular conversation. A young lady was explaining to a friend what our names were; she must have connections within the school. I was shocked to find that neither of them felt lust at seeing my family. But, the emotions from the girl in the purple sweater…they were enamoring. She exuded strength-mental, emotional, and she looked physically strong by human standards. She also transmitted contentment and calmness. She was at peace with herself and the world, happy in every sense of the word. Once I allowed myself to become wrapped in her emotions, I noticed several other things about her. She was beautiful. Her outfit complemented her in every way. The purple sweater made her blonde hair stand out and her brown eyes shine. She stood next to an immaculately kept Subaru STI; could that possibly be hers? As the bell rang, she pushed the "lock" button on her key chain, and it was the Subaru's horn that acknowledged it had been locked. Well, she even had good taste in cars. I noticed her friend had left her to catch up to who I was supposed was her boyfriend. Not an ounce of jealousy could be found in her. Not a drop of annoyance that her friend had left her alone. Was she capable of any negative emotion? She intrigued me to say the least. I silently hoped we would share a class or two as I walked off toward the school.


	2. Chapter 2

Jade's POV

Physics is a great way to start out the day, I thought to myself. It was probably a good thing I had such an affinity for the sciences, since I wanted to pursue a career in engineering. One or two more congratulatory acceptance letters rolled in every week or two. I had applied to a ton of schools…wanting to keep my options open. Maybe I wanted to move to the east coast? Maybe I wanted to stay on the west coast, but move somewhere warmer? At least I had options.

"Hi Jade, how was your summer?"

Beth pulled me from my daydream. She was a good friend, but my friendship with her was very different than my friendship with Haley. Beth was in what seemed like every club, so she was always busy…always talking about some new project or event she was helping plan. Haley and I took life a little slower, not wanting to have every minute of every day filled with something.

"Hi Beth, mine was great. I took a few trips with the family, worked on my car, caught up on some reading, the usual. How about you? How was being a counselor at that summer camp?"

"It was exciting and interesting to say the least; I'll have to tell you all about it later. It looks like Mr. Boyd wants to start class."

Just a moment after she said that, Mr. Boyd cleared his throat and brought the class to order. I turned to the front of the room and saw all familiar faces, but there were two new ones. I was never good with names, but I was sure these were two of the people Haley had pointed out in the parking lot. I wrote down a few notes as Mr. B went over what we'd be covering this year. It wouldn't be anything too hard, and the end of the semester project may actually be fun. Then he put on what was supposed to be an introductory video, since no one really taught on the first day of classes. However, there was a lovely sound of crunching and twisting tape just a few minutes into the video. One more teacher that would finally have to switch to a DVD player…

"Alright, uh, class. I guess we won't be seeing the fantastic world of physics. Please just stay in your seats and talk amongst yourselves for the next half hour or so. I'll hand out the books in the meantime."

Well, at least he wasn't going to make an attempt to pull a lecture together at the last minute. I suspected Beth was going to…

"Awesome, now I can tell you about camp over the summer! We didn't lose any kids…well we thought we did but he was just hiding under his bed after one of the guy counselors decided to try to be cool and tell scary stories. Other than that we did tons of horseback riding and hiking and swimming…"

Beth would talk for the rest of the class, and I would partially pay attention. Enough to actually remember a few things she would tell me and throw in a few "yeah, uh-huh" and "that's really cool" kind of things at the appropriate times. Everyone seemed to be enjoying telling and hearing stories of the past summer, but the two new guys weren't making an effort to talk to anyone…and no one was making an effort to talk to them. It was really weird; normally everyone would be excited to talk to someone new. Before I had a chance to ponder it any further, the bell rang. Next, Calc 1 with Haley.

I threw my Physics stuff in my locker on my way down the hall. At least this year my locker was in a convenient location. As I continued on down the hall, I heard hurried footsteps behind me. Judging by the rhythm, I knew it was Haley. Being best friends for so long really makes you notice weird things.

"Hey Jade. Ready for Calc with Mrs. White?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, it shouldn't be bad. I bet she tries to teach on the first class…"

Haley liked challenges, including bets. I knew she'd take the bait.

"Oh yeah, you're on! What's the wager this time?"

"If you win, I'll go to that craft show you've been begging me to go to with you this weekend. If I win, you have to go with me to that concert in two weeks."

"Well, either way that doesn't sound too bad. Alright Jade, you're on!"

Calc passed without much excitement. Mrs. White didn't teach, but mentioned that she was feeling a little under the weather. Haley and I agreed that neither of us really fairly won, so we would each hold up our part of the bet. That's how it usually was anyway. When the bell rang, Haley hurried out the door and yelled back that she'd see me fourth period. I couldn't figure out why she was in such a rush until I saw Matt at the lockers on the other side of the hall. Those two are something else…

Since American History was just one room down, I sat down toward the back and pulled out a book I had been reading about Janet Guthrie, a famous woman racecar driver. I read a few pages in peace before people started filing into the room. One of the new guys, who was also in my physics class, came in and sat a few seats away from me. He looked lost in thought of something, so I didn't bother to say anything to him. He was dressed nicely, with what appeared to be a new pair of jeans and a simple button down shirt. As I tried to steal another glance at him, someone appeared in the seat right next to me…blocking my view.

"Hey, how do you feel after losing that race the other night? I'm surprised you showed up today."

Cory, always a comedian, and arguably one of my best guy friends.

"Ha ha, very funny Cory. I told you, my boost regulator went bad and turned itself way down. I almost had you in spite of it. You won't have so many jokes after the rematch."

I punched him in the shoulder, with a little more force than necessary just to show him I was serious.

"Ok, ok, easy killer. No need to bruise me to prove a point. You let me know when you're ready for a rematch. Hey, you going to come out and kick around with us during lunch?"

"Don't I have lunch with you every day? I even have gym fourth period, so I'll just change before lunch. I won't put my cleats on so I don't embarrass you too much."

Mr. Klinch actually gave a lecture on the first day. He gave the usual talk about classroom expectations and the plan of study for the semester. This year, he decided we would spend longer than usual on the civil war, since it was his favorite topic. No matter what, I would have to study harder in this class than any other. History interested me, but remembering dates and names really wasn't my cup of tea. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the new guy write his name on the sheet of paper passed around for attendance. Jasper…so that was his name. I made an extra mental effort to remember that. I tried to pay full attention to the rest of the class. When the bell rang, I grabbed my gym bag and the lunch my mom had put in my backpack and headed straight for the locker room.

When I got to the slightly soggy field, Cory and a bunch of my other friends were already playing a small game of soccer. Quickly inhaling the rest of my sandwich and half a bottle of juice, I jumped in the game. Within the first five minutes of playing, I foiled three attempts at goals by Cory's team before they could even get a shot off. By the time the bell rang, the score was 5-2 my team.

Seems like today was my lucky day. We were playing soccer in gym, and Ms. Henders chose Cory and I as captains. What a way to start the year.

Jasper's POV

I counted my footsteps in five different languages as I walked to my first class of the day. I had enough faith in my control to not hold my breath anymore, but the emotionally charged hallways of a high school were enough to drive me insane. Some days it would get so bad I would have to leave at lunch and run a few miles into the forest just to get away from it all and have a few minutes to relax. I walked into the class room and took a seat. My first class of the day was Physics and I had it with Emmett. I noticed that the girl from the parking lot was in this class, too. A friend of hers came in and greeted her. Jade…so that was her name. Somehow it seemed to fit. They briefly talked about the summer before Mr. Boyd cleared his throat to start the class. It was the usual first day format, going through the syllabus and then throwing in a movie to make an attempt to occupy us until the bell rang. Just a few short minutes into the fantastic world of physics, the VCR let out a groan, and from the sound of it, made quick work of demolishing the tape. I laughed to myself quietly as both Jade and Emmett, and likely the rest of the class, were amused by this. I talked to Emmett about the next "trip" for the rest of the class. I had just agreed to go big game hunting with him this evening, when the bell rang.

I made it to my second class just in time, History of Ancient Civilizations. I had two history classes this semester, but American History was somewhat of a joke for me to take. I had lived through the Civil War and could routinely find inconsistencies in history books. History of Ancient Civilizations was a little more interesting, not having witnessed it first-hand. We would be starting with the Ancient Egyptians. My family and I had traveled to Egypt recently, and I had seen many pyramids first hand. I even ventured into some areas that were still unexplored by man. After all, what did I have to fear? I reminisced about the trip for what was apparently the rest of class. I was brought out of my musings by the bell signaling class was over. It was time to go to American History, to most likely hear things taught somewhat different than I remember.

I took a seat in the back of the room, a few seats away from Jade. I still couldn't figure out what intrigued me about her so much, but suffice it to say she was taking up most of my attention; even if I didn't let it be outwardly noticed. I was just about to glance at her again when one of her friends sat down at one of the desks in between us. Cory was apparently his name, and he was in to cars too. Apparently he and Jade made a habit of racing each other, probably on back roads around Forks. She was confident in herself, but not overly so. As Mr. Klinch brought the class to order and discussed what we would be covering, I felt a slight anxiety coming from Jade. Maybe this was one of her weaker subjects. She seemed to concentrate more in this class and didn't even notice her friend Cory making faces at her. When the bell rang, I headed for the woods. A human had my attention, but it wasn't because of the thirst. This confused me immensely, and I needed the lunch hour to make sure I was composed and collected before fourth period.

I heard the warning bell ring and ran back toward the school. When I was within 50 feet of the forest edge, I slowed to a casual jog by human standards and walked into my last class of the day, Spanish III.


End file.
